The Whickham Christmas market, organised by Lighting Up Whickham, takes place tomorrow so today I have been immersed in preparations. My main job was to collect the tables from Marley Hill Community Centre. It seems my Land Rover Defender, normally used for moving bee hives, goats and animal fodder, was the only vehicle big enough to transport 17 tables each 2 metres long. They are now in the
Some shots of the town, including the general election campaign.
The BBC adaptation of John Masefield's The Box of Delights was broadcast weekly in the run up to Christmas 1984. I was too old for such matters in those days - I am not sure that I even watched it - yet somehow I have become one of those for whom these programmes are part of a modern Christmas. One weakness haunts Masefield's book and the television the series: the revelation at the end that "it was all a dream". In an article for Lancet Psychiatry looking at Christmas and dreams, Simon Guerrier takes the idea of the story as ...
This appeared in the Trumptonshire Times today. This afternoon Mickey Murphy from Camberwick Green's only bakery went up to Windy Millers expecting to collect his latest supply of flour from the only mill in Trumptonshire. However, after Fireman Cuthbert and his partner Private Lumley one of the boys at Pippen Fort had come in requesting a cake to support gay marriage which Mickey made for them without a quibble Mr Miller was up in arms. Miller a member of the DUP felt that it was against his personal conscience to supply flour for baking to people who wanted to get ...
#3137092 / gettyimages.com I suspect we shall here a lot of fresh scandal about Jeremy Thorpe and the Liberal Party over the next few days. I also suspect that this blog will happily pass some of it on. But before we do, let's remember his wisdom. The passage below comes from an interview Thorpe gave to Allegra Stratton in 2008, when Gordon Brown was still prime minister. His summing up of David Cameron turned out be prescient: What of Cameron's recent offer to Clegg to build a progressive consensus? He slumps a bit. "I would be very shocked. Our role ...
Many thanks to Emily and Daniel, who switched on the West Port's Christmas Tree Lights at teatime tonight! Here's a couple of photos : From left - Daniel, Emily and mum Sharon (of the Christmas Fortnight Committee!) The West Port Christmas Lights are on!
Lots of Christams events over this weeked and the next. I hope to see you at some of them. Christmas Cracker – Saturday 6 December Street festival with all the trimmings around Lordship Lane and North Cross Road formally starting at 11am. St.Anthony's School Christmas Fair – Saturday 12-3pm 6 December Santa's grotto, carol singing, Christmas crafts, Irish coffees,mince pies. Goodrich School Winter Fair – Saturday 2-5pm 6 December. Santa with elf helpers and huskies. Decorations and stalls. Horniman Museum Christmas Fair - Sunday 10.30am-5pm 7 December. Christmas gifts, seasonal singalong, choirs, family trail, parades, facepainting and enjoy festive food. ...
On 3 June 2013 Hakan Yaman was walking home from work in Istanbul when he passed a public demonstration against police violence in Gezi Park. Within moments he was caught up in a brutal attack by police officers:
Don't anyone say that LBC don't give airtime to diverse opinions. The fact that both Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage take part in a phone in on that channel each week allows those views an airing. One subject that they both were questioned on this week was the case of Claridges asking a woman to cover up with a napkin while breastfeeding. First up this week was the Liberal Democrat leader who said: "We should create an environment where mums feel it is OK to breastfeed and we shouldn't somehow sweep it under the carpet. I think any mum listening ...
So last night I was in bed watching an episode of Bad Education, as you do, and the episode was about the school football team and it got me thinking about the three years I actually played for my school. In Year 6 at Meadowlands and then Years 7 & 8 at Oaklands before we moved to the Isle of Wight and I attended Carisbrooke High and there was no cricket team there, boo. Hampshire and England spinner Danny Briggs went to Carisbrooke, I wonder if they had actually formed a team by the time he got there, they still ...
Charlotte Robinson was an incredibly bright, energetic, and well-liked young woman. She was working towards her A-levels, and hoping to attend Cambridge University. But days before her results arrived, Charlotte died. An eating disorder had left her dangerously weak, and she lost her fight with a sudden bout of pneumonia. When her A-level results arrived, she had achieved four As. The inquest heard it had taken five weeks between Charlotte seeing her GP and an assessment being carried out by a mental health nurse, and it then took another month for any help to start. If help had been given ...
#456736360 / gettyimages.com Credit to the Federal Executive: the reaction to the amendment that Duncan Brack and I moved which took quite a few swings at the details of the FE's proposals for one-member-one-vote (OMOV) has been to ask Duncan and I to be involved in a meeting to look at the next steps for implementing OMOV both at party conference and in the party's federal committee elections. I've got my own views (many of which were laid out in the amendment) but thinking about the issues since conference other points have come to mind, such as the way in ...
On 28th November, Sarah Teather's private member's bill, to tackle revenge evictions in the private rented sector, was debated in the House of Commons. Sadly, two Conservative MP's decided to use Parliamentary procedure to 'talk the bill out'. Over 60 MPs turned up to support the bill, including Conservatives, Labour and the Green, as well [...]
Nick Clegg's Christmas card has been unveiled today – a photobooth set of four shots depicting he and Miriam as Nick pulls on a red Santa hat. [IMG: clegg famil xmas card] The insta-reaction from the Twitterati has been positive: Lovely Christmas card from the Cleggs. Double points for actually using the "Christmas" word. #NoToSeasonsGreetings. pic.twitter.com/Za21Rl4kuX — Tim Montgomerie ن (@montie) December 5, 2014
If that headline does not attract readers then nothing will. This blogpost is of course centred around the UK Government's clampdown on certain on-line pornographic acts if they are delivered to computer's from servers based here. However, as Myles Jackman argues here, it may be possible to expand this ban off-shore. He quotes Peter Johnson, the Director of The Authority for Television On Demand (ATVOD), who he says has explicitly stated that he believes pornographic websites with editorial control outside the UK may be in breach of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 if their content is downloaded in this country: ...
So I've been with NowTV for over a year, and regularly used them since April. For just £6.99 a month I get access to 13 pay channels including Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Sky Living, Sky Arts 1 and Fox (plus the less watched ITV Encore, Discovery, MTV, Comedy Central, Disney, Nickelodeon, NickJr and Gold) through the internet. Not only do they provide a catchup service for most new shows, but also boxsets of some you might have missed in the past, including The Wire, The West Wing, 24 and Game of Thrones (shows come and go, and some might have ...
In his fortnightly ConservativeHome column, LDV co-editor Stephen Tall has taken a look at the five fears (the "queasy quintet", as he terms them) be thinks haunting the Lib Dems. The first two questions – 'A May massacre?', 'Are we becoming irrelevant?' – are self-explanatory. Here's what he has to say about the third and fourth fears: 3) Have the Lib Dems done enough in government? Oh, we have lists of achievements. There isn't a senior Lib Dem alive who's won't rehearse, when challenged "But what have you done?", the line that the our top 2010 priorities - tax-cuts for ...
Fri 5th
11:13
Maghull – Council cancels shops Christmas window competition – no it does not, oh yes it...
Well having been told it was off I am now told that it is on again. A local shop keeper had been told it had been cancelled by Maghull Town Council, who have run the competition for many years now amongst the Town's local shops. I know not why they were told it was off even though I am a member of the Town Council. I found out about the original cancellation via a chance conversation between a former Maghull councillor and a shop keeper which was relayed to me. The bottom line here is that the Council has never ...
The following email was sent to all Councillors as an update on the parking fiasco affecting Halifax Town Centre. Dear Councillor You will be aware of the problems that have arisen regarding Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) in Calderdale, particularly in Halifax Town Centre and Skircoat. However, it is clear that communication of the issues, timescales for their resolution and progress in achieving them, has been unsatisfactory. Officers have apologised to Members directly affected, and will be providing a weekly update to all Councillors from today. By way of background information, the Council's website includes a page titled "Parking Refunds" which ...
[IMG: farage_2921024b] On his LBC programme this week, Farage complained about breast feeding mothers, suggesting they should "perhaps sit in the corner". I took the comment as Nigel playing to the gallery; his usual attempt to épater la bourgeoisie libéral and try and shore up the white van vote. Fine, that's his shtick, no real surprise in any of that. But it did make me think that perhaps, just perhaps, Nigel Farage has pushed some of his beer swilling, man o' the people rubbish too far, and that one day soon he will find that even his core audience tune ...
[IMG: con home cartoon] Here's my latest The Other Side column for ConservativeHome, published here yesterday. My thanks as ever to the site's editors, Paul Goodman and Mark Wallace, for giving a Lib Dem space to provoke – constructively, I hope. A spectre haunts the Lib Dems. Actually, scratch that. At least five spectres haunt the Lib Dems. All parties have their existential fears. Conservatives fear Ukip's splitting of the right-wing vote means John Major's 1992 victory will remain the last election they won with an absolute majority. Labour fears the traditional working-class voting bloc on which it's built its ...
[IMG: Vince Cable - Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats] Perhaps you're a Lib Dem Voice reader, who would love to help get Lib Dems elected next May in the General Election, but you're not sure how to go about it. Whether you are a member or not, if you'd like to help, this article is for you. In the coming weeks and months, there will be many action events in key seats throughout the country. For example tomorrow, Saturday 6th December, there will be a big Regional Action day in Vince Cable's seat of Twickenham. Maybe that's too far, ...
[IMG: Not enough books] I love books. Lots. I buy books. Lots. But I've never yet taken up the offer in a Charing Cross Road bookshop to buy books by the foot. I'd assumed the offer is there to cater to the theatre trade, but this lovely detail in a piece about the success of the American Strand Bookstore makes me wonder otherwise: The Basses [who own Strand Bookstore] have also tapped into New York's great subsidizing resource: the global rich. If you've bought $15 million worth of living space on Park Avenue, it probably has a library, so what's ...
[IMG: Green] As the Chair of the Economy and Environment scrutiny panel on Calderdale I've had three main priorities. This include holding the Highways Department to account on its performance and spending, working to build a greener economy here in Calderdale and ensuring the Council does everything it can to get the local economy back on track. Recently I've instigated a detailed scrutiny review into the local Environment and Public Health. It is my opinion that for too long public health has been approached as a behavioral problem, with poor health being blamed on poor lifestyle choices that people make. ...
[IMG: 10250265_10151969950826991_2454936407950098017_n] This year the Council's Economic task force which I am a part of allocated £1,000 to each ward to boost Christmas trade. I developed a scheme here in Warley ward for the money to go towards helping local pubs. A small grants scheme has been setup to reimburse pubs some of the costs of additional Christmas decorations. The money isn't vast amounts, but hopefully it will go a little way to helping out your local, and making it a little bit more jolly this Christmas.
The Addy Community group is holding a Christmas coffee morning with plenty of mince pies. It's taking place on Friday 19th December at the Pellon Network Centre on Rye Lane. Come along from 10am and join us for the festivities.
News emerged yesterday that the Gender Recognition Panel (GRP) is delaying and possibly denying legal gender recognition because a trans person has had children whilst living in their new gender – an act which is completely unjustified, given that the Gender Recognition Act does not require someone who has transitioned to refrain from sex that may get them or their partner pregnant. At best, this delay is of questionable legality and reveals a dangerous element of (hopefully inadvertent) transphobia in the decision making process of the panel, likely fueled by ill-informed and sensationalist media coverage. But at worst, the panel ...
Following the annual budget the autumn statement announced by the government is the second biggest financial statement the government makes about it's future spending plans. I thought it might be useful to provide a selection of some of the key announcements. Flooding Danny Alexander has laid out plans for 1,400 flood defence projects, providing protection for 300,000 homes. The six year programme - funded by £2.3 billion of capital investment set out at the Spending Round 13 - will help prevent over £30 billion of economic damage. Our parliamentary candidate for Calder Valley Alisdair Calder McGregor spoke at our conference ...
Conservative seat, resignation No Liberal Democrat candidate For more information:
This Saturday (6th December) is Small Business Saturday UK. In South Gloucestershire, participating traders and independent shops will be getting involved, including in Yate, and you can win £100 to spend at one of the businesses. To be in with a chance of winning, simply tweet the South Gloucestershire Council Twitter account @sgloscouncil on Saturday 6 December and tell the council why you like to shop locally and/or suggest your favourite independent shop in South Gloucestershire. All tweets must include the hashtag #southglos and the best tweet will win the voucher. For more info about Small Business Saturday events and ...
Here's some of the articles that have caught my attention this week... Padraig Reidy: Who can speak and who must be silent? – Index on Censorship | Index on Censorship Why free speech matters by @mePadraigReidy > "What if you woke up one day, the world had tilted 180 degrees" http://bit.ly/1yj3iBx Deficit reduction plan disappears into La La Land | Flip Chart Fairy Tales Shh, @FlipChartRick. Election first, candour later > Deficit reduction plan disappears into La La Land http://bit.ly/1pXF7FN BuzzFeed UK appoints new senior writer, plans to expand with 'beat structure' | Media news There's soon going to be ...
From Star Trek to board games: meet Wil Wheaton, king of the nerds I have a soft spot for old Wil, and approve of his boardgamery :) (tags: ) The UK's sexist new pornography restrictions aren't just an act of state censorship, but could be the first step towards something even worse "It might not be your cup of tea. But pornography is the canary in the coal mine of free speech. It is the first freedom to die. If assaults on liberty like this are allowed to go unchallenged, further freedoms will fall as a consequence." (tags: ) [IMG: ...
With thanks to Ed Stradling, here's a 40 minute interview between Jeremy Thorpe and Richard Crossman, originally broadcast on BBC1 on 24th March 1974. (This is BBC material so will be removed from YouTube in a week or so. ) You can read our coverage of Jeremy Thorpe's death here. * Stephen Tall is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice, and editor of the 2013 publication, The Coalition and Beyond: Liberal Reforms for the Decade Ahead. He is also a Research Associate for the liberal think-tank CentreForum and writes at his own site, The Collected Stephen Tall.
#96031187 / gettyimages.com There is certainly an intended clue in the very name of 'terrorism' about its awfulness. It goes with the standard reaction to any act of terror – that whatever is necessary will be done to tackle terrorists. Yet for all the widespread phraseology about doing whatever it takes, that's not really what anyone believes. Take the simple matter of money. There's always scope to spend more on anti-terrorism measures, whether it's employing more people, acquiring more technology or better protecting more properties. But not even the most authoritarian Labour Home Secretary has never got even close to ...
With two further pedestrian crossing recently installed on Riverside Drive (east of Barnetts Motors and also west of Tesco Riverside), constituents have asked if it is still the City Council's intention to provide one further west on Riverside Avenue at the Riverside Nature Park entrance. I sought an assurance from the Head of Transportation and was advised : "The intention remains to provide a traffic signal controlled pedestrian crossing. This will likely be funded in future years by Cycling Walking and Safer Streets and /or Sustrans grant. A strategy of measures is being followed, namely speed limit change to 40mph ...
Today marks the countdown to my final day as Co-Editor of LibDemVoice. I guess I could say the past seven years and seven months have flown by, but actually it seems like a long, long time since I started here. Tony Blair was prime minister, Ming Campbell was Lib Dem leader, and I was still a councillor. I think I officially took over as Editor (from the site's co-founder Rob Fenwick) on 31st May, 2007, though I'd started the Golden Dozen round-up of the best of the Lib Dem blogs a few months earlier. A couple of years later, once ...
Yeah I know, I know, British right wing newspaper tries to stitch up Tony Blair saying he would be happy to work for Vladimir Putin. He did not say that, but he hardly said that he would draw the line either. The idea that Blair had actually done a real job before entering politics is a bit of a rib-tickler too. Being a Barristers Clerk is not exactly the kind of executive experience you really need when your next job is being an MP, then... Prime Minister. Blair is emerging as one of the most astonishingly un-self aware figures in ...
People will be able to see Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, 'More Nurses' bill for the first time this week. Kirsty's bill, which aims to ensure safe nurse staffing levels in hospitals, will be introduced in the Assembly tomorrow. Previously, the Senedd debates have been based on the general principle of the bill; today the bill is formally published before it heads to the health committee for the first stage of scrutiny. Over 4,500 people have either signed petitions or written to their AM urging them to back the Bill as it progresses through the Assembly. In ...
This is Pastor Steven Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona. He is a man who it would seem has set himself up for a pretty busy advent season this year. Why? Well in his sermon on Sunday he said it was possible to cure the world of AIDS by Christmas. Here we were over 30 years after the outbreak of this disease and he apparently has the solution within 4 weeks. No wonder he is going to be busy. He is going to have to produce his solution and distribute it to the 35 million people world ...
